But I'll just add that the Guardian Northerner will be resting on Good Friday and over Easter and will be back on either Bank Holiday Monday or the day after, depending on other commitments.

These will be mostly in the world of egg-painting and rolling, which composts the garden every April with mashed up bits of white and yolk. But while hurling the little missiles, I will be thinking of Northerner readers and contributors who have done so much for us over the past 12 months.

It's more or less a year since the blog assumed its new form, and during that time we have been ever more energised by increasing reader numbers, excellent comment threads (a bit different from the unappealing tone elsewhere, and more persuasive) and a marvellous range of guest bloggers, from Cabinet ministers to Bradford teenagers. We owe a debt, too, to Guardian colleagues who have jointly hosted the blog at appropriate times, especially on the Politics and Environment pages. Thank you.

Another good place to roll eggs. Photograph: Murdo Maccleaod for the Guardian

Onward and upward is the only direction to go; and behind us, we begin to discern the dust of a mightier Guardian army, beginning to head in this direction. We were born of Manchester. In Manchester (and Leeds, Liverpool, Newcastle, Sheffield, Bradford and all points north) we remain and shall in greater strength flourish. As Ed Jacobs keeps reminding us, the next election is going to be both crucial and fascinating in the north and Helen Pidd's work in Bradford has already proved a storm petrel in that regard.